5 Bold Predictions: Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers – Week 1
By Chris Schad
Dalvin Cook will run for at least 100 yards
A lot of the focus this offseason has been on the Vikings’ passing attack, but Dalvin Cook remains an important fixture in the offense. Derrick Henry (4,504) is the only player that has more rushing yards than Cook (3,851) over the past three seasons, and a modernized approach should only help him become more effective moving forward.
Cook enters his age 27 season, but he should benefit from the new scheme. O’Connell rotated running backs throughout his two seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and Alexander Mattison, Kene Nwangwu and Ty Chandler have the talent to make the same thing happen in Minnesota.
This leads the Vikings into a matchup with a tough Packer defense but running the ball is the exact way to attack them. General manager Brian Gutenkunst brought up that the Packers prefer to run a nickel defense after selecting Quay Walker in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft and with six men in the box, it would benefit the Vikings to take advantage of it.
If Cook gets the ball, he should have plenty of space to operate. If he’s able to turn that into big gains, it should make it easier for the Vikings to improve their passing attack.